New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-18
THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE. BILL.

The manner in which the United States
Senate adopted the conference report on the
Interstate Commerce bill deserves careful
study. 1t is made clear by THK TRIBUNE's
report Of the proceedings that if all the Sem
atOrs who do not believe in the bill had voted
as they thought. the report would have been
defeated. II to tho votes cast against the con-
victions of Senators had bocn added tho o
which wcro based upon misunderstanding Of
the measure the adverse majority would have
heen considerably larger than that by which
the report was adopted. This indicaes a
curious condition Of things The debates in
the Senate have shown such radical and hope
less differences of Interpretation as 70 eshadow
a sreedy necessity for Judicial decision on the
main provisions OF the bill. while rs regards
lis effect upon commerce, agriculture and
transportation the opinions of the lcei lators
arc equally at variance There are indeed
some central 20 nts. .uch, for instance, as the
problem of the long and short haul concern
ing which it must be said that radical differ
ence of opinion can only 10 accounted for on
the theory of inade4ua knowledge on one
side. For this question has 40 ualy been
settled for many years so far as experiment
can settle anything and il is not adni sibo
to assert that there is any longer room for
two serious yet conflicting views on this
subject.
The Granger wor of the West resulted,
among other things, in proving that tho in
forests of the pubic ae one with those of the
rail oa,'s in requiring tho main enancc Of the
principle which the Int, stac Commerce bill
seeks to eliminate. Equal ra es for tho long
and short haul were thcrc cOnclusi vely 'hown
to nvoye such an increase of tan por alton
charges for the longer d anccs ms must have
shut out whole communities from their natural
narke S, and thus ut one blow checked settle
mcnt and production. One OF the most i'm
pO,ta public uses of tho modern trnsrorta-
ton agencies is the extension OF thc areas OF
settlement. The heavy imm g. alton which has
poured into the cOun ~ since the war could
not have been disposed OF ~ any advantage
but for the great trunk railways. and they
oOId not have done the work Int for the
difference between the long and short haul.
That difference h built up hundreds Of feeble
settlements, established hundreds Of feeble
industries given to far ou1yug towns an
villages the privileges and tho strength OF
ueh'N pHittS W. HIO'
emphatically in the public interest can be
named. Yet the Changers frs . and now Con-
gress have attacked this most useful system
as though it were an unmiiigatcd evil The
Granger legislation cured itself. though not
teforc suffering had been eau cd by il. 1t
was 30 bad that it could not be tolerated and
it was not. But surely the National Legis-
laiure ought 10 have taken this cxpci fence to
heart, and not have repeated the blundcr OF
the Grangcrs. wanting the excuse Of the lat
ter. namely, the inexpcrience Of the whole
country at the tine.
1t has teen sta ed that the railroads have
made little resis' ance to the new bill. and this
is Icrfccly credible. even If they arc credited
with their full share OF sclfishne.s. For the
worst effects OF the measure must fall not
upon them. but upon tho public. 1t is true
that if as a result Of this crude legislation
American railroads should 10 Q tho whole trade
h CHINA and japan. the sacrifice will DO n
serious one but the enactment Of q law which
practically cOmpcls the advance OF through
rates all over the country is not likely 10
diminish the revenues of the common car
riers. Senators who fully recognize the mis-
chievous character Of this and other proDoscd
charges have, however, supported the bill.
Presumably they hold that the only way left
10 convince their cons j uents that the demand
for the measure is mis- aiken is TO let them see
and feel il for themselves No doubt this is
a drastic remedy, and one which seldom fails
but unfortunately 1t is an extravagant rem
edy, for it cannot be applied without injuring
some intercs 5 seriously. In the pre- cnt tenn
Per of Congress there is little hope for the
prevalence of wiser cOunsels however Tho
tendency is to save appearances. and to shift
responsibility back 70 the people themselves.
The latter are generally 100 busy TO look
closely into matters which do not Immediately
fleet them, and the result is that they arc left
to discover in the most costly and disasrecabdc
way the incidence Of bad laws. Some day
perhaps, they will become inpatient Of this
method. and then our politicians may learn
sclf-reliance.